Soil conditioning



SOIL CONDITIONING Harold M. Pitt, Torrance, Call! or to Staufier Chemical Company, a corporation of Delaware No Drawing. Application June 15, 1955, Serial No. 515,774

Claims. (Cl. 4758) This invention relates to soil conditioning agents and,

more particularly, relates to the use of sulfonium compounds as soil conditioning agents.

Many soil conditioning agents have been proposed in the past, but, in general, such conditioners are not true soil conditioners but are actually only stabilizers which maintain the soil in the condition in which it is.at the time the stabilizer is applied. Such conditioners, in order to be effective, must be applied to the soil when it is in good condition of tilth and such conditioners are-helpful...

in maintaining that condition. On the other hand, the compounds of the present invention are true soil conditioners inasmuch as they can be applied to ,spil in very poor physical condition and bring about a remarkable change in the physical condition.

Some of the soil conditioners proposed in the past have been applicable only to certain types of soil. However, the soil conditioners of the present invention have been applied to soils of widely varying types with equally advantageous results.

Other soil conditioners which have been proposed are diflicult to apply and unless the compounds are applied in accordance with a specificed technique, are ineffective. By contrast, the compounds of the present invention need merely be applied to the soil in any manner to exert their beneficial action. For instance, they can be placed in irrigation water or merely scattered upon the ground in a liquid or solid form.

A completely surprising property of the soil conditioners of the present invention is that they speed up both germination and growth. The mechanism in this action is not at all understood, but as later demonstrated in detail, very pronounced actions upon germination and growth are produced. This is in direct contrast to ordinary contrast to ordinary soil conditioners which either have no efiect upon germination or an adverse effect.

In accordance with the present invention the soil conditioner comprises a compound having the formula:

wherein R1, R2 and Rs are the same or dissimilar organic radicals, of which at least two are aromatic radicals, and which may or may not contain other substituents such as chlorine, alkyl radicals, hydroxy radicals, and wherein X is an acid residue, such as a halogen, particularly chlorine, an acetate, a xanthate, or a thiocyanate radical.

The following compounds falling within the above definition have been tested and found to be effective soil conditioning agents. Each compound has had a code number assigned thereto and throughout the balance of the specification, the code numbers will be used:

"ice.

Description sultonlum chloride.

phena Di-p-ehlorophenyl tachloroethyl sulionlum chloride. Di-gp-chlorophenylwichloromethyl sulionium chloride. Til-854 Dip-chloropheuyl) 2-hydroxy-3, 5 dichlorophenyl sulionium chloride. lzilp-chlorophenyl) paramethylpheuyl sulionium chloe Phenyl-(p-chlorophenyl) sulionium chloride. Parahydroxyphenyl dl-(p-chlorophenyl) sulionium chloride. Triphenyl sulionium chloride. 'lriphenyl sultontum 2;4 dichlorophenoxy acetate. Methyl triphenyl sulionium ranthate.

'Iripheuyl sulionium thiocyanate.

In order to demonstrate the efiectiveness of these compounds as soil conditioning agents, two types of soil were tested, namely Hugo clay loam having a pH of 5.5, and Alviso clay having a pH of 8.1. In accordance with this test, about three tablespoons of finely ground soil are placed in a paper mold having a 2" diameter and h" depth. The soil is leveled at the surface and is settled in the molds by tamping the mold. A line is then drawn across the soil surface, dividing it into two parts and two ml. of a 10% solution of the compound in either methanol or acetone is added drop-wisefrom a pipette so that {servation of the granulation, softness and cracking of oven and examined. The examination consists of. %i:

",soil. TR compounds 839(M), 841(A), 846(A), 853(A),

854(A), 862(M), 864(M), 865(A), 867(M), 868(A), 869(A) and 870(M) were tested in both acid and basic soils, in this manner. The letters (A) or (M) show that the solvent was acetone or methanol, respectively. It was found in each instance that the soil was satisfactory from the standpoint of granulation, softness and cracking with the exception of compounds TR-846 and TR-853, which showed only slight granulation when used in basic soil.

Because it is the least expensive of the compounds listed, TR-867 has been subjected to more extensive tests than the other compounds. This compound was tested as an anti-crusting and anti-cracking agent for soils of various pH. In addition to Hugo clay loam and Alviso clay, described above, Sorrento loam having a pH of 7.1 was used. In each instance, ceramic pots were filled with 1% pounds of soil, the compound was mixed in irrigation water which was flooded over the entire soil surface. The pots were then allowed to dry and then the measurements made. The rate of application was ten pounds per square feet. The evaluation consisted of observing the soil for cracking including the number, width and distribution of cracks in the soil surface. To determine the crusting, a Ma" steel rod sharpened to a point was pressed into the soil surface to a depth of /2". The force required to penetrate this depth was used as a measure of crusting. To determine the penetration, the steel rod used above was placed in a spring scale and forced into the soil to a depth of 6". The pounds of pressure required to penetrate six inches of soil is the measure of penetration. The penetration was recorded in pounds of pressure and the crusting and cracking were recorded on a scale wherein 1 represents no crusting or cracking, 2 represents slight crusting or cracking, 3 repregreater surface porosity of the treated soil. Large surface cracks appeared in the untreated soil strips, but these sents moderate crusting or cracking, 4 severe crusting or cracks did not enter the treated soil areas. The uncracking, and 5 very severe crusting or cracking. The treated soil areas dried out much faster than the treated following results were obtained: soil due to the surface cracks. All plants on treated soil made very rapid growth, as the following table Cracking Hardness Penetration pH shows. Growths are expressed in inches, and treatments are the same as those referred to above under the ger- Treatment....A n N A n N A n N A' n N minationtests:

stark; i t i i t i 2 t: at a M... W PM Al-Huso y loam. Leaves Height Leaves Height Leaves Height B-Alvlso clay. v N-Sorrento loam. 2 3 1% 2% 8% 3 Tests were made to determine the etreet of TR-867 g 3 5 2,, 3 it upon germinating seeds. The soil was Sorrento loam, 8D 1 g 6 9 11 and the following treatments were used: 5 -5 75 4 2 6 0 1a 1.25 lheJlOO sq. ft... 34 5% 3 5 9 11 6A and 6D 3 poungs per sq. 8A and 8D 4 poun s per sq. t. 9A 0.95 poundsper 100 sq. ft. p gi gg 8A and 813-28 d after Pmmds per 25 b. Treatments 0.95 and 1.25 lbs./100 sq. ft.23 days (The terms 6A, 6D, 8A, etc., are purely arbitrary code after planting. u each being used to designate a certain p t As has been mentioned before, the compounds of the of soil and the test run thereon.) present invention may be applied in a variety of ways. I treatments 6A and required TR367 was They may be applied as solids to the surface of the soil, mixed with the irrigation water and flooded over the applied as solutions or dispersions, or dissolved in irri entire soil surface. In treatments 6D, 8D, 9A and 10A, {ion water, Although it is not necessary for successful the TR-867 in water solution was applied as a 1" band results, the compounds may be disced or har -owed into over the seed row and the entire soil surface subsequently th top few inches of soil. The, compounds may be irrigated by flooding. In all the above listed treatments, applied at a rate of f o 5 pounds per 100 square f t the seeds were planted prior to treatment. Treatments t as little as 0.125 per 100 square feet. Ordinarily, it is 9A and 10A were made five days after treatments 6A, preferred to apply from about 1 to about 4 pounds per 6D, 8A and 8D. The crops planted consisted of lettuCe- 100 square feet. 45 seeds; radishes--30 seeds; peas-12 seeds; and oats- I claim: 20 seeds. Germination counts were made fifteen days 1. The process of conditioning soil comprising applyafter planting. In each case, germination counts were ing to the soil from about 0.125 pound to 5 pounds per made 15 days after planting. The following germination 100 square feet of a compound of the formula counts were obtained: R

Treatment Lettuce Radish Oats Peas RPS-x (45) (30) (a0) (12) It,

0 14 18 v 8 wherein R1 and R: are aromatic radicals and Rs is an 2 22 m 5 organic radical and wherein X is an acid residue. 22 i3 2. The process of claim 1 wherein the rate of applicae 24 30 18 11 tion is from 1 to 4 pounds per 100 square feet. 3; a 1g 1g 3. The process of claim 1 wherein the compound is added to irrigation water for application to the soil. To determine the effect olfl TR-867 on the rate tgf g' g g g fi fi gf gggg g a gg g fi g sgg gg gz; crmination, TR-867 was app 'ed to Sorrento loam at e ates of l, 1.5, 2, 2.5 and 3 pounds per 100 square feet, 100 square feet of a compound of the formula in each'case being applied as a 1" band over the seed rows before irrigation. 20 tomato seeds were planted R-8x in each row. Germination counts were made 6, 7, and 10 days after planting, with the following results. wherein each R is an I we radical and wherein a a a 10 as X is an acid residue. Treatment g 5. The process of conditioning soil comprising apply- Plant- Plflnt- Plant ing to the soil from about 0.125 pound to 5 pounds per 100 square feet of triphenyl sulfonium chloride. 4 6 13 5 2 ii, i: References Cited in the file of this patent g {g {3 UNITED STATES PATENTS 7 15 2,178,353 Werntz Oct. 31, 1939 2,185,654 van Peski Jan. 2, 1940 It is sometimes diflicult to evaluate a soil conditioner 2, 93,9 3 Han-is 9, 1940 in terms of absolute units, but the following observations 55,17 Britton ct 1, ja 2, 1945 were made by skilled observers on the efiect of the soil 2, 02 Brmon at Jun: 11, 1945 when applied as a band over plants in seed rows before irrigation. There was an immediate granulation of the FOREIGN PATENTS soil which could be observed even before all the irrigation 152,172 Austria Ian. 10, 1938 

1. THE PROCESS OF CONDITIONING SOIL COMPRISING APPLYING TO THE SOIL FROM ABOUT 0.125 POUND TO 5 POUNDS PER 100 SQUARE FEET OF A COMPOUND OF THE FORMULA
 5. THE PROCESS OF CONDITIONING SOIL COMPRISING APPLYING TO THE SOIL FROM ABOUT 0.125 POUNDS TO 5 POUNDS PER 100 SQUARE FEET OF TRIPHENYL SULFONIUM CHLORIDE. 